Fungalpedia– Note 4 Havispora
Havispora K.L. Pang & Vrijmoed
Citation if using this entry: Noorabadi MT & Hyde KD (2023) New genera in 2008. Mycosphere (in press)
Index Fungorum Identifier 506744, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, freshwater fungi.org, Fig 1
Pang et al (2008) introduced Havispora Pang & Vrijmoed as a monotypic genus, typified by Havispora longyearbyenensis Pang & Vrijmoed. The type was isolated as an arctic marine fungus from driftwood on the bouldery shore at Longyearbyen, Svalbard in Norway and is a saprobe. Havispora longyearbyenensis was placed in Halosphaeriaceae based on fundamental morphological characteristics such as persistent asci without an apical structure and hyaline ascospores with appendages. Havispora longyearbyenensis is characterized by black, ellipsoidal or subglobose ascomata, lack of periphyses, clavate, thin-walled, unitunicate, 8-spored, persistent asci, and ellipsoidal, thin-walled ascospores with one appendage at each pole and four equatorial appendages of equal dimension, appendages consist of intertwining strands that split in seawater.
Fig 1. Havispora longyearbyenensis (redrawn from Pang et al 2008). a Peridium. b Ascomata on substrate. c Subglobose ascoma d Ascospore. e Catenophyses. f Asci. Scale bars: b=500 μm, c=100μm, a, e=20 μm, d, e=10 μm.
Havispora longyearbyenensis is very similar to Nautosphaeria, Nereiospora and Sablecola in terms of the position and gross morphology of the ascospore appendages. Nautosphaeria is distinguished based on pale membranous ascomata, deliquescing asci and one celled, gray fuscous ascospores. Nereiospora is differentiated based on carbonaceous ascomata, a one layered peridium and dilute asci. The central ascomata spore cells have fuscous apical hyaline cells and delicate, fibrillar appendages that do not intertwine. Sablecola is distinct based on light colored ascomata, uniseptate ascospores, and flattened, attenuate and strap-like appendages in ascospores with parallel lines. These morphological differences supported Havispora as a new genus to accommodate Havispora longyearbyenensis as a new species in Halosphaeriaceae. (Pang et al 2008).
Type species: Havispora longyearbyenensis Pang & Vrijmoed
Reference
Pang KL, Chiang MW, Vrijmoed LL. 2008 – Havispora longyearbyenensis gen. et sp. nov. An Arctic marine fungus from Svalbard, Norway. Mycologia 100 (2), 291–295. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15572536.2008.11832483
Entry by
Maryam Tavakol Noorabadi, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.
(Edited by Kevin D. Hyde)